Kendrick Lamar Is Keeping His Foot Up On The Gas! Partners With ‘South Park’ Creators For A Live-Action Comedy
The Pulitzer Prize-winning and 22x Grammy Award-winning rapper Kendrick Lamar partners with ‘South Park’ co-creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone for a live-action comedy set to hit theaters July 4. The project, to be released by Paramount Pictures, is written by Vernon Chatman, with Lamar and pgLang partner Dave Free serving as co-producers alongside Parker and Stone. While much of the plot remains unknown at this time, the live-action comedy will reportedly portray the collision of the past and present when a young Black man, interning at a living history museum, makes a jarring discovery about his white girlfriend's ancestors.
Paramount CEO Brian Robbins says the project is “one of the funniest and most original scripts we’ve ever read, and it’s certain to create some fireworks."
Lamar previously collaborated with Parker and Stone on his 2022 music video, “The Heart Part 5.” The video featured cutting-edge deepfake technology from Parker’s and Stone’s AI company, DEEP VOODOO. They used this technology to morph the rapper into various celebrities, including the late O.J. Simpson, Kanye West, Jussie Smollett, Will Smith, Kobe Bryant, and Nipsey Hussle. Through these shifting personas, “The Heart Part 5” offered a powerful critique of the darker aspects of “the culture,” presenting multiple perspectives on its complexities and contradictions.
Kendrick Lamar is no stranger to bringing narratives to life through film. In 2018, he collaborated with several artists to produce Black Panther: The Album, the soundtrack for Ryan Coogler’s history-making Marvel film Black Panther. Later that year, he made his acting debut as Laces in the fifth season of the STARZ hit series Power. In 2022, he expanded his cinematic reach by releasing his concert documentary Kendrick Lamar Live: The Big Steppers Tour on Amazon Prime Video, capturing his electrifying performance in Paris.
Moreover, Lamar has mastered the art of fusing music with cinematic storytelling, giving us some of his most powerful and visually compelling performances through his music videos. Namely, his performances in the videos for “Swimming Pools (Drank)” (2012), “Poetic Justice” (2012), “God is Gangsta” (2015), “i” (2015), “These Walls” (2015), “For Free?” (2015), “Alright” (2015), “ELEMENT.” (2017), “DNA.” (2017), “LOVE.” (2017), “LOYALTY.” (2017), and “We Cry Together” (2022), showcases his versatile ability to weave emotion, narrative, and captivating visuals into a distinctive storytelling experience. Most recently, his 2025 headlining Super Bowl Halftime Show performance emphasized his talent as an ever-evolving visionary artist, blending music, culture, and cinematic spectacle on one of the world's biggest stages.
The Pulitzer Prize-winning wordsmith and performer has fans intrigued by his forthcoming live-action comedy debut on July 4.
–Dominique Young
